The pair were due to face each other last year in an undisputed clash, but a two-fight deal fell through after a US judge ruled Deontay Wilder was contractually due for a third fight with Fury, which took place in Las Vegas last October. The fight between Fury and Joshua looked dead in the water when Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk twice, but with the Ukrainian saying he is not available to fight Fury until next year, Fury has sent Joshua a new offer. If agreed, the blockbuster will be the most important battle in the blue-riband division between two British fighters in two decades.
My prediction for an all-British heavyweight fight
If the deal for Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua to dance in a British WBC title ring falls through, it remains a very difficult fight for the challenger. Fury is unbeaten in 33 bouts and looks to be in his prime at 34, with movement, ring command and IQ having seen him take a trilogy of fights against the dangerous, devastating hands of Deontay Wilder. Look back to 2015, indeed, and Fury, then a different fighter, used his skill and elusiveness to take out Wladimir Klitschko, by then the reigning heavyweight champion for nearly a decade. In the three fights with Wilder, Fury has also been lifted off the canvas four times and has a terrific chin and ability to recover along with a great motor, belying his 6ft 9in 19st frame. Fury also famously faced Dillian Whyte in April in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium and under Sugar Hill Steward, his Detroit-based trainer, has added attacking intent and power to his armoury, as he showed against Whyte with a six- round knockout of his British opponent.
